chlorhexidine

Chlorhexidine Gluconate is only available by prescription in the United States. However, I have personally found this to be an over-the-counter mouthwash in Germany. And it probably is in other countries too.

There are some side effects to using this long term. In fact, your dentist will probably not want to prescribe for more than a couple of weeks at a time. Perhaps it would be good for post surgery situations.

In any case, long term use can lead to stained teeth.

Peridex is a brand name for Chlorhexidine Gluconate and you can probably get by with less expense if you go for the generic name.

You may have heard that chlorhexidine will kill bacteria and that is true. In fact, it is extremely good at it!

Yet, you may have heard that taking antibiotics for too long is not good for your gastrointestinal tract. Because you wipe out all of the good bacteria, you need to eat yogurt and replace the healthy bacterial population. The same may be true for your oral cavity.

If you eliminate all the bacteria, you have left the door wide open for the growth of a new set of bacteria. Will it be the good kind or the bad kind? That’s the question you want to answer.

In any case, these are things to discuss with your doctor or dentist. However, if you have not been prescribed chlorhexidine, then you may have just been curious about it.

There are certain Anti-Staining varieties on the European market. Don’t be fooled. I tried one and found that it quickly caused staining. If you have not been prescribed Chlorhexidine by your dentist or periodontist for a particular short -term purpose and are just looking for a good mouth wash, try something else!